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One Has Retired, The Other "No Longer Employed" By The
Airline

The two pilots who said they were
distracted by their laptop computers and a discussion over airline
scheduling will not be returning to a Delta cockpit, the airline
said Tuesday.

Both veteran pilot Timothy Cheney and Richard
Cole had their pilot certificates revoked by the FAA almost
immediately following the incident last year in which they
overflew their intended destination of Minneapolis by about 100
miles. They contested the revocations, and eventually signed an
agreement with the FAA which at least left the door open to them
returning to the cockpit.

But The Wall Street Journal reports
that Delta, which absorbed Northwest in a merger, said Tuesday that
Mr. Cheney, who had been the captain on the flight, had taken
retirement rather than try to seek reinstatement with the airline.
Mr. Cole, who was the first officer on flight 188, declined the
retirement offer. A spokesman said he "is no longer employed" by
the airline, but offered no other explanation.

The flight has become a frequent example in FAA Administrator
Randy Babbitt's speeches about pilot professionalism, and caused
lawmakers to move to prevent pilots on U.S. airliners from using
electronic devices while taxiing or flying.